Dallas Stars Issue Several Injury Updates
There’s no question that the Dallas Stars were severely impacted by injuries throughout the 2025-26 season. The Stars had the fourth-most injuries of any team this season, behind the Florida Panthers, Vegas Golden Knights, and New York Islanders. In today’s end-of-season media availability, the General Manager Jim Nill revealed a laundry list (via Lia Assimakopoulos of The Dallas Morning News) of specific injury information the Stars dealt with throughout the regular season and postseason.
Nill disclosed new injuries or details regarding 18 players on the roster, from the preseason to the present. Some injuries were already known, such as Tyler Seguin‘s ACL tear, Jamie Benn‘s collapsed lung, and Miro Heiskanen‘s torn oblique, but several others were also mentioned.
The biggest news is that star forward Mikko Rantanen suffered a torn MCL in the Olympics. Missing more than a month of action, Rantanen dropped from a 1.27 P/G average before the international tournament to a 0.80 upon his return. His point production went up mildly during the playoffs, but it was clear that Rantanen wasn’t his usual self.
Nill admitted that Rantanen came back as quickly as he could, which likely hurt his recovery process. Fortunately, the Stars aren’t expecting that he’ll need surgery this summer.
Both players that Dallas acquired at the trade deadline were also dealing with injuries. Nill alerted that both Michael Bunting and Tyler Myers were dealing with groin injuries in the regular season. That could be a key reason as to why neither player transitioned well to the team after being acquired by the Stars.
He also offered injury updates on those on the team who suffered longer-term injuries throughout the 2025-26 campaign. Matt Duchene was dealing with a concussion earlier in the season that cost him most of October and all of November.
Roope Hintz, who became ill at the Olympics, suffered a double hamstring tear in his first game back on March 6th. Unfortunately, as he was attempting to make another comeback, Hintz reaggravated the same injury. In a similar vein, Radek Faksa, who was also injured in the Olympics, apparently suffered a concussion. Additionally, while he was recovering from concussion symptoms, Faksa was stepped on by a skate and had a serious laceration in his foot that cut some ligaments. There’s a chance he’ll need surgery again this offseason.
Further down the forward corps, Nill shared that Oskar Back lost 10 games in October due to a wrist injury, Nathan Bastian broke his finger toward the end of the regular season, Adam Erne sprained his MCL in December, Arttu Hyry suffered a high ankle sprain in the playoffs, and Sam Steel endured a groin injury during the regular season.
On defense, the most notable news was the injury specifics to Thomas Harley and Lian Bichsel earlier in the season. According to Nill, Bichsel fractured his leg and ankle in late November, costing him nearly a third of the regular season. Nill added that Bichsel suffered a shoulder sprain in the playoffs, but that isn’t expected to have any long-term consequences.
Meanwhile, Harley, who lost 12 games of the regular season, suffered a broken foot in November. Nils Lundkvist, who hasn’t played since getting a facial laceration against the Minnesota Wild, was also suffering from concussion symptoms from the same play. Additionally, Nill shared that Lundkvist fractured his leg and ankle earlier in the year, costing him 30 games. Lastly, Nill told the media that depth defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin had a shoulder injury throughout the regular season.
Dallas has reached a point where losing Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final in overtime is considered a disappointing year. Still, given the overwhelming amount of injuries the same faced during the regular season and playoffs, it’s impressive that the Stars managed to win 50 games this season and finish third in the league standings. They’ll want to emphasize rest and recovery for their players this offseason and look to get back for the 2026-27 campaign as a healthy group.
Photo courtesy of Perry Nelson-Imagn Images.
Stars Expected To Scratch Tyler Myers In Game 6
With their first-round matchup against the Minnesota wild on the line, the Dallas Stars appear set to scratch defenseman Tyler Myers for Game 6 per Lia Assimakopoulos of Dallas News. Dallas acquired Myers ahead of the Trade Deadline in exchange for a 2027 second-round pick and a 2029 fourth-round pick. The deal moved Myers to his hometown Stars after seven seasons with the Vancouver Canucks.
Myers has been a quiet addition to the Stars lineup. His results were nearly even through 16 regular season games. Myers was on the ice for six goals for and six goals against, as well as 5.07 expected-goals for and 5.01 expected-goals against. He also racked up three assists. It seemed he had a firm grip on a third-pair role headed into the postseason but Myers’ performance has quickly run cold. He has no points and a minus-five in five games this series. His biggest impact to the lineup has been in the physical game – he leads all Stars defensemen with 11 hits this postseason – but even that boost came to a screeching halt when Myers went without any hits in Game 5.
Without a physical boost or much play-driving, Myers filled a quiet 14 minutes of ice time on Tuesday – just one game after playing 27:25 in the Stars’ overtime loss to Minnesota on Sunday. Now, he’ll fall out of the lineup entirely, with Alexander Petrovic set to take his place. Petrovic ranked second on the Stars blue-line with 88 hits in 54 games. He also recorded 10 points, 47 penalty minutes, and 77 shot blocks.
Dallas is in need of another physical force to try and stop Minnesota’s high-tempo stars. They will hope Petrovic can meet that need more directly, after Myers missed the mark in their last outing. How Petrovic performs could shape Dallas’ lineup through the rest of the postseason but likely won’t have an effect beyond the summer, with Myers signed to a reasonable $1.5MM cap hit through the 2026-27 season.
Stars Provide Several Injury Updates
The Stars have been one of the top teams in the NHL all season and have done so despite missing several key players for extended stretches. They also happen to be without quite a few regulars in the stretch run of the season. In an appearance on 96.7 The Ticket earlier today (audio link), head coach Glen Gulutzan provided updates on several of his players.
Earlier today, the team revealed that defenseman Miro Heiskanen was undergoing imaging for a lower-body injury. He’s set to miss the remaining three games of the regular season while Gulutzan added that he is “certainly hoping” to have his top blueliner back when the playoffs start. If he isn’t able to return, it would be the second straight postseason in which Heiskanen would miss time as he was sidelined for 10 of their 18 contests in 2025.
The other high-end player that remains sidelined for Dallas is center Roope Hintz. He sustained a lower-body last month (in his first game back following an illness that kept him sidelined after the Olympic break) and while the original hope was that he wouldn’t miss much time, he hasn’t played since. Recently, the plan was for him to get back into action before the end of the regular season but that is no longer the case. Now, the hope is that Hintz, who is still listed as week-to-week, will be ready for the playoffs.
Meanwhile, Heiskanen isn’t the only Dallas defender who’s now banged up. Gulutzan indicated that Tyler Myers reaggravated an old injury on Thursday and could miss Saturday’s game against the Rangers as a result. Acquired just before the trade deadline from Vancouver, the veteran is averaging over 16 minutes per night in 13 games with his new team as he has helped stabilize the back of their back end.
It isn’t all bad news on the injury front though. Gulutzan added that center Radek Faksa and winger Michael Bunting are expected to play in multiple games before the season ends with Bunting potentially being ready on Saturday. Center Sam Steel is day-to-day with the team being hopeful that he’ll be able to return for the regular season finale on Wednesday versus Buffalo.
Stars Acquire Tyler Myers From Canucks
12:20 p.m.: Both teams have officially announced the deal. Dallas opened up a roster spot yesterday by placing Roope Hintz on injured reserve, so no corresponding move is required.
11:23 a.m.: The Stars and Canucks are reportedly in agreement on a trade that will send defenseman Tyler Myers to Dallas, per Darren Dreger of TSN. Vancouver will receive Dallas’ 2027 second-round pick and 2029 fourth-round pick in return while retaining 50% of Myers’ $3MM cap hit through 2026-27, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun adds.
The Stars are all-out buyers and entered the deadline with a clear need to add right-shot depth. It was a foregone conclusion that they’d add one, whether it was Myers, who Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK says had the Stars as his first choice to waive his no-movement clause, or the Flyers’ Rasmus Ristolainen, who David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period said last night that Dallas was making a push for.
Dallas has been running lefty Miro Heiskanen on his offside on their top pairing with Esa Lindell, something they’ve done frequently during Heiskanen’s career. Behind him, their right-shot options consist of Nils Lundkvist, Ilya Lyubushkin, and Alexander Petrovic. There isn’t a clear-cut top-four option among that group, at least by a Stanley Cup contender’s standards. Myers may not fit that bill at this stage of his career, either, but he’s used to logging the most minutes of the group and at least gives them a much-needed additional depth option in case of an injury.
Myers, 36, doesn’t do a ton on the score sheet this late in his career. In 57 games this season, he has just one goal and seven assists with a 1.4% shooting rate. That’s a career-low 0.14 points per game for a defender who logged a fair bit of power-play time in his prime thanks to his booming slap shot. That’s been accompanied by a -25 rating as he logs over 20 minutes a night as the struggling Canucks’ #2 righty behind Filip Hronek.
Under the hood, Myers hasn’t graded out well for quite some time. Granted, he’s been used more as a shutdown threat than a two-way one at 5-on-5 since initially signing with Vancouver back in 2019. Still, Myers controlled just 48.5% of shot attempts, 47.6% of expected goals, and 47.4% of scoring chances over seven years with the Canucks. That’s in sharp contrast to a player like Ristolainen, who’s been a net positive on the possession quality front for the last four years in Philadelphia but came with a much higher acquisition cost and cap hit, which would have limited Dallas’ maneuverability to make additional moves before Friday afternoon.
It’s certainly a cap-mindful pickup that still leaves the Stars with just over $5.5MM in cap space after moving Tyler Seguin to season-ending long-term injured reserve. Myers also gives the Stars a relatively low-cost veteran option for next season, ideally to slot in on the third pairing, with Petrovic slated for free agency and Lyubushkin checking in as a potential buyout or waiver candidate in the last year of his deal at a $3.25MM cap hit. Every dollar is crucial as the Stars look to open up space to get an extension done for pending RFA Jason Robertson.
For the Canucks, it’s not a particularly strong return for a minute-muncher like Myers with a year and a half of retention. They also didn’t have much leverage, as Myers boasted a full no-movement clause. There were comparable offers on the table, namely from the Red Wings, but Myers preferred to wait and see whether the Stars would match with a similar offer, Dhaliwal reports.
In the short term, the most direct beneficiary of Myers’ departure is 2023 first-rounder Tom Willander. The right-shot rookie now steps into Myers’ vacated spot alongside Marcus Pettersson on the second pairing and, after recording 16 points through his first 48 NHL contests, will be in line for a sharp rise in ice time from the 15:33 he’s averaged per game to date in the final month-plus of the regular season.
As the Canucks navigate the last two days before the trade deadline, they now have just one retention slot remaining. One is still being used up on Ilya Mikheyev through the end of this season.
Image courtesy of Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images.
Islanders Linked To Conor Garland
4:24 p.m.: Myers is no longer part of conversations between the Islanders and Canucks, Rosner reports. Whether that’s because he invoked his no-movement clause is unknown.
3:11 p.m.: The Islanders are in “serious discussions” to acquire winger Conor Garland from the Canucks, Stefen Rosner of NHL.com reports. Defenseman Tyler Myers could also be headed to the Isles in the deal if he’s willing to waive his no-movement clause, something that’s been holding up a deal ever since he was removed from Vancouver’s lineup to avoid an injury risk last week.
The Isles aren’t alone in their push to acquire Garland this week, particularly among their competitors in the Eastern Conference playoff race. CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal had the Isles’ pursuit of Garland this morning, along with the Bruins and Senators as interested parties. As we covered over the weekend, there’s a connection between Garland and Sens head coach Travis Green, who used to oversee him in Vancouver.
Nonetheless, Rosner’s reporting indicates the Islanders have at least emerged as frontrunners, even if it’s not a done deal. The Isles have been looking to add players with term after adding Ondrej Palat and Carson Soucy in a pair of trades before the Olympic break, and are open to moving a first-round pick to do so, general manager Mathieu Darche said in January.
The Isles have persisted through a pair of early-season blows that saw defender Alexander Romanov and winger Kyle Palmieri – both important supporting pieces – sustain season-ending injuries (although Romanov could be an option to return in a first-round playoff series). Soucy and Palat emerged as cheap replacements weeks later, but the Isles have gone 6-2-0 since acquiring them to boost their playoff chances up to around 75%, per MoneyPuck.
That has Darche looking to reward his team for pushing through the blows dealt by the Romanov and Palmieri injuries, and he’s comfortable sparing the assets to do it with the success he had in restocking the organization’s cupboards at last year’s draft. Now armed with a franchise cornerstone on defense in Matthew Schaefer, he’ll need to assess what he’s willing to move to boost an offense that ranks 21st in the league at 2.92 goals per game.
Garland would go a long way toward doing that and, with the six-year, $36MM extension he signed last summer yet to kick in, is far from a rental option. In addition to boosting their forward corps this season, he becomes a controllable insurance policy for next year and beyond in case they can’t manage to come to agreements with pending UFAs Anders Lee and Jean-Gabriel Pageau before July 1.
That’s assuming the 29-year-old’s struggles this season are more a product of him being on a last-place team in Vancouver rather than individual decline. The 5’10” winger has never been an exceptional finisher, relying more on consistent shot volume to hover around 20 goals a year. Even so, his shooting percentage is down to 6.8 this year, resulting in him only lighting the lamp seven times through 49 games. On the whole, his 25 points make for his worst per-game showing since his rookie year in Arizona back in 2018-19.
Between 2019 and 2025, though, Garland was incredibly consistent. Aside from a career-best 0.80 points per game rate in the shortened 2020-21 season, his average stayed in a relatively small window between 0.57 and 0.68. Just last season, his 19 goals and 50 points were only a few short of setting a career high in each category.
Myers isn’t a pure rental either, but is a shorter-term pickup with another year left after this one at a $3MM cap hit. His shutdown ability is less of a need with the Isles already boasting the fifth-best defense in the league, but they could view him as a short-term upgrade over Scott Mayfield , who’s struggled to control possession in his third-pairing role. That’s in spite of Mayfield having better boxcar stats across the board this season, but Myers has dealt with a much more difficult workload in higher deployment.
If the Isles were to acquire both, they’d have to move out a contract if Vancouver isn’t retaining any salary, even with Garland’s current $4.95MM cap hit before it jumps to $6MM next season. That could be winger Anthony Duclair if he’s willing to waive his no-trade clause – David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported over the weekend that they were shopping him.
Updates On Tyler Myers Trade Market
Last night, in the NHL’s return to action after the Olympics, multiple reports indicated that the Vancouver Canucks will be healthy-scratching veteran defenseman Tyler Myers for trade-related purposes. Speculation began surrounding a few teams, but Myers can control his destiny given the no-movement clause in his contract. It was believed at the time of reporting that Myers would be okay with a few destinations.
According to TSN’s Darren Dreger, Myers and his representation have targeted the Detroit Red Wings as his preferred landing spot. Dreger noted that the Dallas Stars, among others, remain interested and that Myers is willing to wait a few days to let the process play out. Regardless, Rick Dhaliwal of The Athletic shared that Myers hasn’t been asked to waive his no-movement clause yet.
There’s no question that the Red Wings are looking to bolster their defensive core, particularly on the right side. Youngster Axel Sandin Pellikka has shown flashes of his elite potential, but it’s clear that Detroit, particularly head coach Todd McLellan, doesn’t yet trust the rookie in clutch situations. That being said, it would make sense for the Red Wings to acquire a veteran blueliner on the right side as they continue their push to the postseason.
Still, Detroit, or any team acquiring Myers, would arguably be acquiring him at a career lowpoint. The 17-year veteran has registered only one goal and eight points in 57 games for the Canucks this season with a -25 rating. While Myers has never been relied upon for his offensive prowess, that output projects as the lowest-scoring season of his career across a full season.
Additionally, even on the defensive side of the puck, he’s not playing particularly well. His 46.5% CorsiFor% at even strength is the lowest he’s managed since his time with the Buffalo Sabres, and his 88.3% on-ice SV% at even strength is the lowest of his career. If the idea is to replace Sandin Pellikka next to Ben Chiarot on the second defensive pairing, there’s no reason to believe that Myers would be a considerable improvement aside from a few items.
Sandin Pellikka is outscoring Myers by a considerable margin, has superior possession metrics, and has a similar on-ice SV%. Still, Myers is far more willing to sacrifice his body (blocked shots and hits) than Pellikka, and stands nearly a foot taller. If the Red Wings ultimately acquire Myers, they may believe he’ll perform better in an improved environment.
Regardless, since Myers hasn’t been asked to waive his no-movement clause, it’ll likely be a few days to see how it ultimately shakes out.
Canucks Scratching Tyler Myers For Trade-Related Reasons
Feb. 26th: Although early speculation linked Myers to the Edmonton Oilers, TSN’s Ryan Rishaug reported that the Oilers are not one of the teams that are interested in acquiring Myers.
Feb. 25th: With the trade deadline now just a week and a half away, we will soon be seeing an uptick in players being held out of the lineup to avoid any injury risk before a potential trade. The Rangers did it with Artemi Panarin before the Olympic break and now the Canucks will be doing so with a veteran as well. Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK and The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that blueliner Tyler Myers will be scratched tonight against Winnipeg for trade-related reasons. This comes on the heels of a report from ESPN’s Kevin Weekes (Twitter link) that Vancouver is fielding plenty of calls on the veteran and that he could be on the move soon.
TSN’s Darren Dreger adds (Twitter link) that the Canucks went to Myers with this trade option a couple of days ago. With a full no-move clause, Myers has full control over his situation and he and his camp are still pondering the potential change of scenery. Clearly, even though a deal might not be imminent, the team isn’t taking any chances and is holding him out just in case.
The 36-year-old came into the NHL with plenty of fanfare in 2009 after being the 12th overall pick by Buffalo the year before. With Myers jumping into a top-pairing role right away, expectations were quite high that he could be a legitimate franchise defender.
While he hasn’t been able to live up to that hype and ultimately struggled in a prominent role over the years, Myers has still been a steady second-pairing defender for the better part of the last decade. He’s in the middle of his seventh season in Vancouver, one that has seen his offensive production basically dry up altogether as he has been limited to just a goal and seven assists in 57 games. However, he remains a key defensive defender for them and sits second on the team in blocked shots and third in shorthanded playing time.
Myers is in the second season of a three-year, $9MM contract that runs through the 2026-27 season. With a $3MM cap charge that is certainly affordable for the role he plays (he’s averaging over 20 minutes per game once again), that and the fact he’s not a rental player should certainly have Vancouver well-positioned to command a quality return, especially with a lack of quality right-shot options available.
A move shouldn’t necessarily be considered an automatic, however. Myers has made it known over the years that his desire has been to remain with the Canucks no matter what, which played a role in his below-market contract with them. Assuming the other suitor is a legitimate playoff contender, it will be interesting to see if the allure of making a push for a Stanley Cup is enough to make him agree to be moved.
Photo courtesy of Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images.
Pacific Notes: Myers, Chytil, Sherwood
With the Canucks heading for another postseason miss, they’re a team that’s expected to move out more veterans before the March 6th trade deadline. But one veteran who doesn’t want to be on the move is defenseman Tyler Myers. He told reporters including Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province that there’s “no question” that he wants to stay in Vancouver. The 35-year-old is in his seventh season with the Canucks and has largely played on the second pairing during that time, a role he still holds now. With one year left on his deal at an affordable $3MM, Myers is someone that teams will undoubtedly be inquiring about. However, he does control his fate this season with a full no-move clause; that protection dips to a 12-team no-trade list in July, however.
More from the Pacific:
- Still with the Canucks, center Filip Chytil met with the media yesterday (video link) before his return to the lineup. One thing he wanted to set the record straight on is the number of concussions he’s had. While speculation has suggested the number could be as high as eight, Chytil stated that he hasn’t had quite that many, though he declined to set the record straight on just how many he has dealt with. Head injuries (concussion or otherwise) have been an issue for the 26-year-old, especially in recent years as he has been limited to just 73 games since the start of the 2023-24 campaign.
- After acquiring Kiefer Sherwood, the Sharks reached out about a contract extension but there’s apparently a sizable gap to bridge on that front. GM Mike Grier spoke to reporters earlier this week including Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News and wouldn’t rule out the possibility of listening to offers on Sherwood. That said, he was quick to call the winger a targeted acquisition and he’s clearly someone that they envision fitting on the roster beyond this season. But Sherwood’s hot start offensively and his physical prowess could potentially push his next contract past the $5MM per season mark despite the 30-year-old only being a full-time NHL player for three years now. If he remains unsigned leading up to the deadline, it’s possible that Sherwood finds himself back in trade speculation.
Afternoon Notes: Kleven, Player Fines, Devils
This afternoon TSN’s Bruce Garrioch updated that Tyler Kleven expects to play tomorrow, as the Sens host Nashville in an afternoon tilt. Garrioch also mentioned Drake Batherson, who remains sidelined, but is still expected to return sometime this week, as noted yesterday. Having both been injured in training camp, last week it was speculated that the pair of Senators could possibly have appeared for the team’s season opener. While that was not the case, it appears Batherson and Kleven are on the cusp of a return, joining the one-win, one-loss club with high expectations this season.
Elsewhere across the league:
- This afternoon, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced a pair of $2,500 fines from infractions during Saturday’s games; the recipients being Ian Cole and Tyler Myers. Cole caught discipline for what was noted as a “dangerous trip” on Steven Stamkos. Next, fellow veteran Myers was fined for slashing Connor McDavid. Cole was caught up in a bizarre play with Stamkos, where both players ended up in the box as the Nashville forward’s stick struck Cole as he came down from the trip. Meanwhile, Myers was looking to box out attackers around Thatcher Demko, business as usual for the 6’8” defenseman, when he swung his stick upward, catching McDavid in the groin area, leading to a minor penalty.
- With newcomer Evgenii Dadonov likely to miss multiple weeks with a fractured hand, James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now speculated earlier today on how the lineup should adjust. Nichols pointed out prospect Shane Lachance as deserving of an opportunity to be called up for his NHL debut. Acquired from Edmonton by New Jersey in the three-team deal headlined by Trent Frederic last season, Lachance, a former 6th-round pick has become a standout prospect for the Devils. After two respectable seasons with Boston University, the 6’5” forward turned pro last season, appearing in two games with AHL Utica, netting a goal and an assist. Although he has yet to find the scoresheet early on this season with the Comets, Lachance has the frame to slot into any lineup. Nichols also mentioned exciting rookie Arseny Gritsyuk as a candidate to move up to a top-line role, perhaps holding down the fort for his mentor, Dadonov. Regardless, it is a tough blow for a Devils’ club which is all too familiar with injuries to key players.
Pacific Notes: Eichel, Kempe, Canucks Injuries
With today’s news that one of the league’s biggest superstars has elected to sign a record-shattering eight-year contract extension with the Minnesota Wild, leaguewide focus has shifted to other stars currently without a contract for next season, including Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel. Eichel’s camp, which is led by Pat Brisson of CAA, is currently “engaged in ongoing contract discussions and negotiations” according to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period. Pagnotta did note, though, that talks between the two parties are “currently going slow” and “a deal is not yet in the offing.”
Eichel, 28, is in line for a lucrative contract extension of his own. He has already proven himself to be a star first-line center in the NHL, one capable of leading a team to a Stanley Cup championship. Set to turn 29 in October, he’s positioned to sign what will be the largest contract of his career, and earlier this month it was reported that both Eichel and the Golden Knights agree that Eichel’s next deal should carry the maximum possible term. Pierre LeBrun said today on TSN’s Insider Trading that he isn’t sure whether Vegas will have the appetite to go too far above the $12MM AAV they pledged to Mitch Marner this past summer, while Eichel and his camp are likely to expect a number closer to the $14MM AAV owed to Leon Draisaitl on his contract extension.
Other notes from the Pacific Division:
- A player in a similar, albeit not identical, boat to Eichel is Los Angeles Kings forward Adrian Kempe, who is also without a contract for next season. It was reported earlier this month by Pagnotta that Kempe’s camp was seeking an eight-year, $10MM AAV contract extension, while the Kings were hoping to sign a deal more in the range of $9MM AAV. With that disagreement in mind, both Kempe’s representatives (led by CAA’s J.P. Barry) and the Kings elected to postpone contract talks – likely until each side could see the value of Kaprizov’s contract. Now with that matter settled, both sides are set to resume contract negotiations, according to The Fourth Period’s Dennis Bernstein. While Kempe, 29, is not considered the same level of player as Kaprizov, he nonetheless has easily cleared the 70-point plateau in each of the last two seasons and has thrice scored at least 35 goals in a season. It would be fair to speculate that if the disagreement between Kempe’s camp and the Kings remains on whether he’s worth closer to $9MM and $10MM AAV on his next deal, the fact that Kaprizov will make $17MM will almost certainly aid Kempe’s side of the argument.
- Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre reported that while both Conor Garland and Tyler Myers “have been managing minor” injuries during the Canucks’ preseason and training camp, both players “have asked” to play in Wednesday’s preseason game against the Calgary Flames. MacIntyre added that “neither” player is likely to be unfit to play in the team’s season opener. Both Garland and Myers are key veteran contributors to the Canucks: the feisty Garland is an important part of the team’s offensive identity in its middle-six, while Myers was the team’s number-four defenseman last season. With the Canucks entering an extremely important campaign, it’s encouraging news that neither player looks set to miss any regular-season time.